Chapter 29: Jealousy - Monet

The next morning when I leave the dorm to head to my first class, there's a visible security guard standing at the entrance to my dorm, and he nods at me when I leave.

There are always campus security circulating around, but never one at the entrance like a bodyguard. Could it be that Cole did this after the reporter?

He's setting things up to protect me, but who is protecting him?

"Is it always like this, the interest in players?" I ask Amy when we wander through the student center later in the afternoon.

"I told you Cole is special." She sips on her iced coffee. "And these days the student athlete can actually take on brand deals, they can make money. It wasn't like that until recently."

"So that means more visibility, more attention."

I think of the very expensive pearl earrings in my drawer, which I still believe is too excessive and he shouldn't be spending his money on buying me jewellery.

The truth is, Cole has always been very good with finances. My mother on the other hand, not so much, so he took the whole budgeting over in high school, and that's why he's a finance major.

Now I don't even know if he will ever get a chance to use that gift.

"Exactly." Amy stops dead in her tracks, her eyes on a cafe. "Speaking of the devils."

I follow her gaze, and I gulp.

Cole and Luke are sitting at a table, and the blondes are all over them. Stacey is standing behind Cole with her arms slung over his shoulders, laughing at something Luke is saying, while Ray is sitting on Luke's lap while his hands are resting on her thighs.

Pink blotches on Amy's cheeks, and she looks ready to blow.

"I hate this shit!" She throws her empty cup in a nearby bin. "Why the hell would my father make that rule? Now I have to watch other girls all over Luke."

The same reason Cole doesn't want me dating players either. It will interfere with the game and the team, but it's hard wanting something you know you can never have.

I look longingly at Cole. He's looking so good with his too-long hair flipping over his forehead. He's also laughing, and I wonder what is the joke.

I will never have that. Be so carefree with him. It's funny how when I first came here I couldn't understand why he wasn't spending time with me, now I'm thinking it's better if we stay away from one another.

"Let's go." I tell her, turning so we're going in another direction.

What we need is to meet new people. Hot guys to take our minds off boys we cannot have.

"I think we should start dating." I tell her. "We're Instagram famous now, I'm sure there are boys just dying to go out with us."

I can feel her surprised stare on the side of my face. Just yesterday I wanted to focus on my studies.

I look briefly at her. "What? You said we should enjoy our lives. So are we just going to wait around to hang out with those two? There are other guys on this campus, a lot of them!"

I know I'm bluffing myself. I don't want any other guy, I've seen tons of cute guys in the mornings on my run, and I haven't once thought of dating them.

But I have to do something to stop thinking of my brother, and how his erection felt against me. The thought alone should repulse me, but instead I'm thinking if I will get another chance.

"Who are you and what have you done with Monet?" Amy is still looking skeptically at me, and I open my mouth to answer, but I get swept off my feet from behind and swung around.

"Stinker!" Luke teases before he puts me back down and throws his arms around our shoulders. "Where are you guys heading off to?"

"We're scouting for dates." I say bravely, as Luke's eyes nearly bug out of his head.

"Why the hell would two fine looking ladies like yourselves be out looking for male attention?" He pulls a face at me. "Men are so gross."

"You would know." Amy rolls her eyes at him.

"Monet."

My name sounds like a command and a caress in one, or maybe I'm fucking losing my mind.

I turn around and watch as Cole walks up to me, his black T-shirt stretching across his torso in a way that should be illegal. There are women out here who is just salivating at the sight.

"Hey." I haven't seen him since Sunday morning when I hightailed it out of there.

He stops in front of me, and pulls me into his arms, kissing me softly on the forehead in what people would think is a brotherly kiss, only my heart doesn't get that memo. It beats frantically in my chest, at his body surrounding mine, his familiar scent hitting me all over.

"Are you okay after yesterday?" His blue eyes seem to sparkle in the sunlight, concern etched onto his features.

"I'm good." The reporter is the last thing on my mind right now. "Are you okay? He definitely didn't want to talk about how well you played."

Cole sighs, looking over my head in the distance. "The university is setting me up with a publicist to address the issue. It's just a little overwhelming at the moment, I have all sorts of companies calling me nonstop too."

I frown, forgetting that I was just thinking he's a whole snack and then some.

"I'm worried about you." I tell him honestly. Nobody but me and Mom know the struggles he had to overcome.

His eyes meet mine with that burning look in them that I can't quite decipher yet. I thought I knew him, but he certainly never looked at me like that.

"Don't worry about me." His voice drops an octave, making my toes curl in my sneakers. "I told you I have a great coping mechanism."

"Ladies!" Luke bellows, interrupting us, who has a giggling Amy slung over his shoulder. "Since we're not seeing you this weekend, how about joining us for dinner?"

"Put me down you ogre, or I'm going nowhere with you!" Amy hits him playfully on the ass, seemingly to forget that we shouldn't be so friendly with them.

"Say you'll go out with us first." He turns in a circle, laughing as her hair flies everywhere.

"Yes, yes!" She howls, and he puts her down.

"It's a date." Cole winks at me with a smirk before jogging away, probably to his next class, Luke taking off after him.

I look accusingly at Amy. "Now we're never gonna get boyfriends!"

The truth is, I'm not even mad about it.